Today Cabinet Secretary John Faulkner announced the appointment of four new members to the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council. The Advisory Council provides expert advice to the Minister and myself about how the National Archives functions.
Adding to the council’s broad-ranging experience, the National Archives welcomes new members Mr David Irvine AO, Dr Dianne Snowden and Professor John Williams, and welcomes back Associate Professor Dr Helen Irving.
Mr David Irvine AO is the Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS). He is a career diplomat who joined the Australian Foreign Service in 1970. He has served as Australia’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, and concurrently to Mongolia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from 2000–03.
Associate Professor Dr Helen Irving was appointed to the Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney in 2001. She teaches Federal Constitutional Law, Comparative Constitutionalism and Gender and Constitution-making, and is the Director of the Julius Stone Institute of Jurisprudence. Dr Irving was previously a member of the Advisory Council from 1997–2003.
Dr Dianne Snowden is a genealogical researcher and professional historian, employed as the genealogical researcher with The Public Trustee in Tasmania. Dr Snowden is a member and former chair of the Tasmanian Heritage Council.
Professor John Williams is Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide. His primary research interests are in constitutional law and issues, and Australian legal history. In 2005 he coordinated the country roundtable for Australia on the distribution of powers and responsibilities in federal countries, as part of the Forum of Federations’ Global Dialogue on federalism.
Other members of the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council include Mr Paul Santamaria SC (Chairman), Mr Peter Grant, Senator Kate Lundy, the Hon. Mr Alex Somlyay MP, Dr Jane Wilson, Mr Ian Hancock, Mr Roland Perry and Mr Aladin Rahemtula.
I look forward to working with the new members at our upcoming Advisory Council meeting later this month in Brisbane.
Ross Gibbs
Director-General
National Archives of Australia
2 June 2008